Networks

National Research and Education Networks [NRENs] are expected to connect all R&E [Research & Education] community sites and institutions regardless of physical location or infrastructure presence. This expectation necessitates that the NREN think outside the box to create new and unconventional last-mile solutions. One innovative approach involves boosting the LTE (Long-Term Evolution) connectivity in regions

As IPv4 addresses become increasingly scarce, it\’s essential for Tier 3 ISPs like RENU to embrace IPv6. Here\’s why: Address Space: IPv6 provides an almost inexhaustible supply of unique IP addresses, ensuring that your network can accommodate the growing number of connected devices. Improved Security: IPv6 includes built-in security features like IPsec, which enhances data

For ISPs like RENU, ensuring high availability is crucial to maintaining uninterrupted services. Here are some strategies for achieving network redundancy: Redundant Internet Links: Establish multiple internet links from different providers or routes. Implement BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) for dynamic routing to automatically switch traffic to the backup link if one goes down. Load Balancing:

Network security is a top concern for Tier 3 ISPs like RENU, as cyber threats can disrupt services and compromise data integrity. Here are some essential practices to enhance network security: Firewalls and Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems: Deploy robust firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing traffic. Regularly update rule sets

In the world of computer networking, efficient bandwidth utilization is paramount, especially for small Tier 3 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating in regions like Africa. In this blog post, we\’ll explore some strategies for optimizing bandwidth usage in such environments, with a focus on the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU). Traffic Shaping and

In a network where Service Providers run customers’ VLAN traffic over their backbone network, there is a possibility of VLAN crushing if different customers use overlapping VLAN IDs. With Q-in-Q Tunneling Providers can segregate different customers’ VLAN traffic on a link (for example, if the customers use overlapping VLAN IDs) or bundle different customer VLANs

Virtual private LAN service (VPLS) multihoming enables you to connect a customer site to two or more PE routers to provide redundant connectivity. A redundant PE router can provide network service to the customer site as soon as a failure is detected. VPLS multihoming helps to maintain VPLS service and traffic forwarding to and from

INTRODUCTION Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches are designed for data center top-of-rack deployments by providing 24 to 128 ports offering flexible connectivity, high performance, and a comprehensive feature set. It usually runs on multiple versions of OS images including 6.2a, 6.3a, 6.8, 7.3 and many others. Figure 1: Nexus 3000 series switch TFTP (Trivial FTP),

Ping Plotter This is a tool used by the RENU community to troubleshoot network issues. Once an institution is facing problems they are prompted to share their results with the NOC for interpretation. The big question is do you understand these graphs. This write-up covers the basic features of the graphs and their interpretation. You\’ve